How to Make Your Rental Feel Like Home?

Even a rental apartment can feel like home if you invest enough effort into it. The problem is that you can’t really afford to spend too much money on a place that someone else owns. Once you have to part ways (which may happen despite how good of a tenant you are), you might still be able to get some of your money back. However, you have no influence over when and how this is going to happen. With that in mind and without further ado, here are some simple and effective tips on how you can make your rental feel like home.

1. Add floating shelves

The first thing you need to take into consideration is the utilization of the space you have available. The size of the apartment is one of the biggest factors when determining the rent, which is why people often pick a smaller place, which later causes storage problems. Installing an entire shelf will further shrink the room, unless you can find a way to decorate the area that was, up until this moment, mostly unused. This is where floating shelves come in. They’re simple, elegant and unique. Once you put them up, you will be able to display all your trinkets and make the place feel a lot homier already.

2. Update bathroom with wallpaper

The next step you should consider is a wall decoration in your bathroom. Wallpaper isn’t always the most popular choice for this room because of the humidity and temperature in this room. So, you will have to be smart about it. The shower and tub area usually have tiles covering the background. This means that you’re free to decorate the rest of the room with wallpaper. This allows you to go for a rustic print. You can also use a wallpaper stripe, or just cover a small area of the room in this manner. Keep in mind that the quality of the adhesive may make a huge difference.

3. Change the lighting

The next inexpensive idea you could consider is changing the lighting scheme. Look at it this way, you’re likely the one who’s going to keep paying the power bill, which is why switching to LED sounds like a great idea. Installing simple fixtures like a new chandelier, pendant light or even LED panel is always a solid plan. Just keep in mind that installing fixtures in new spots might be a tad more complicated. It’s something that will probably have to involve the landlord. Lamps are a better idea and you can go with either floor lamps or self-standing lamps.

4. Shift the furniture

Another thing you can do is change the position of the furniture or the layout of the room. This is something that you can do without any kind of investment. You can simply discover what works best for your home. Still, keep in mind that there are some furniture placement positions that are only natural for the room. For instance, there are some elements that you cannot move without disrupting the flow of the place. Natural barriers like pillars or slide doors that you would block if you placed the furniture in front would be a major obstacle.

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5. Improve apartment entryway

You can start the decoration as early as the entryway. The first thing you should do is consider the entry point to your home and invest in a quality door mat. You can also enhance your door with a nice custom-made wreath. Once a person steps into the apartment, the first few steps should be seen as the acclimation chamber. A coat hanger, a runner rug and a key tray should all be there. Depending on whether you want people to take their shoes off indoors, you should have a place where these shoes should be deposed. Also, don’t hesitate to add a plant or an art print in the entryway to make it more personal.

6. Utilize wall space

The next thing you should do is find a way to utilize available wall space. There are several steps you can use in order to get there. First, you can try to hang as many storage elements as you can. Hanging planters, shelves and other things can be used in order to maximize the usefulness of the wall space. Second, you should consider wall-mounting some of your tech pieces. A wall-mounted TV is common in the majority of households. You could further enhance this notion by surrounding it with suitable decoration. Imagine a screen hanging amidst paintings. You could even pick a matching painting (a piece of wall art) as a screensaver. This way, you create an enticing illusion.

7. Change the blinds

The next thing you should do is rethink the way light flows through your home. Here, blinds and curtains are the key. Curtains are also quite important from the hygienic perspective. You see, you have no idea of the lifestyles of the previous owner. Sure, you can wash the curtains but buying new ones is a better way to go. You get to pick the colour, material and pattern. If they’re floor-to-ceiling curtains, you get to change an entire portion of your home. It’s an investment definitely worth making, and something that will instantly make your rental feel more like home.

8. Something alive

Home is not a home without something that you will emotionally get attached to. So, you should probably start by asking a landlord whether you can bring a pet (regardless of whether you had one before). If not, you can probably get an aquarium with a couple of fishes or get some indoor plants. This way, you will get a new responsibility and a reason to return home day in and day out. Keep in mind that by enhancing your living space with something that requires your direct care, you will increase the likelihood of taking care of the place, as well.

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9. Keep it clean and organized

Keeping the place clean and well-organized is always a priority. Upon moving into a place, you should probably rummage through it in order to see what goes where. In order to truly claim it and make it your own home, you need to rearrange the place to your own convenience. Sometimes by just moving a thing to a new location, even if you don’t feel the need to do so, you will further contribute to adding your personal stamp to the area. It sounds like an optional thing or a suggestion but in reality, it makes all the difference in the world.

10. Get a rug

Rugs make a disproportionally large difference compared to their cost. They can transform not just the looks but also the feel of the room. If you prefer to walk around the place barefooted or spread across the floor next to the coffee table while watching TV, this might be the best choice. It’s also something that’s relatively easy to pack if you decide to leave. However, if you stay for a while and a rug starts showing visible signs of wear and tear, you can just leave it behind. It’s a change to your lifestyle and something that you can go with without much effort.

11. Instal mirrors

Mirrors are one of the best ways to make the place expand visually. With the help of reflection, they can enhance the living space, creating the impression of a much greater area. They are also functional and provide you with a whole new experience within your living area. Mirrors are also not that expensive, especially when you decide against taking something too big or extravagant. With the right positioning, they too can make a disproportionally large difference.

12. Shabby chic furniture

One of the ways to add new furniture to the place without overspending is to buy cheap (garage sales, flea markets, online sales) and restore furniture. The concept of shabby chic is one of the simplest styles to achieve this way. It is also something that will provide you with hours of fun and make you test and challenge your own creativity in the process. Overall, it’s something you should definitely consider.

In conclusion

Just because you won’t stay there forever, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your best to make your rental feel like home. Sure, you might be there for 6 months, 2 years or even 5 years but this is still quite a bit of time. The idea of a home is what matters the most and you can feel like a stranger in a place that you own, in the same way in which you can feel at home in your own place. So, you should do yourself a huge favour and invest some effort to claim your current living space, regardless if it is a rental.

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